Nintendo has taken a stab at replicating the holiday TV classic Yule log with its new Switch Lite ad.
Before I get into my rant about high art, I want to take a moment to explain how sacred the Yule log is. According to Wikipedia — an always reliable academic source — many unverified scholars have said that the iconic burning wood dates back to Germanic paganism.
It was also a real log before it was a tv channel, as you likely already know. The log also represented the battle between good and evil, which, of course, you also already knew.
Fast forward to 1966 when (likely) tortured artist and president of New York TV station WPIX, Fred M. Thrower, had the genius idea of putting one of these burning logs on TV for everyone to enjoy. This act of impressive of performance art (eat it Shia LeBeouf) has likely saved countless trees over the years.
The premise was simple; broadcast a log burning without interruption until a magic hand came in to either poke the log or replace it.
Wikipedia states that Thrower “envisioned the program as a televised Christmas gift,” and he was undeniably correct.
The fire charing and slowly disintegrating the log is the perfect metaphor for capitalism and how it’s slowly killing us all. Since the experience is on a TV, we’re able to watch the log burn while being offered none of the warmth fire provides. Instead, we’re given a looping tune of Christmas music and mass-produced art that lacks life-giving heat.
The key to this whole illusion is that the camera never moves. It’s held steady to focus your attention on the flames to better help you visualize the world burning down around you.
This is where Nintendo’s Switch ad falls apart. Throughout the 30-minute ad, several cuts that show off the back of the Switch Lite, a Christmas tree, a sandwich and more.
Happy holidays and if you want to buy a Switch Lite this Holiday season, click on this affiliate link #ad.
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